SUMMER MOVIE PREVIEW: Here come the blockbusters

A summer movie slate of more than 100 films offers a little something for everyone. Whether you're into superhero flicks, young-adult romances or brainy art-house fare, Hollywood has got you covered.

By Al AlexanderFor The Patriot Ledger

After surviving a polar vortex of a winter, the last place you’d probably want to be this summer is inside an air-conditioned movie house. But a couple of 90-degree days will no doubt ease such aversions. And when you are ready to come back into the cold, you can expect to find plenty of heat up on the screen via such diverse sources as fire-breathing dragons, 95-mph fastballs and for kinkier souls, a sex tape.

They are all part of a summer movie slate of more than 100 films offering a little something for everyone. Whether you’re into superhero flicks, young-adult romances or brainy art-house fare, Hollywood has got you covered. So to get you ready, here’s a rundown of the movies with the greatest potential to warm your cockles in an icy-cold theater, beginning with:

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 – Andrew Garfield takes Spider-Man for another spin, this time caught in a web of intrigue involving Jamie Foxx’s powerful Electro. The man formerly known as Django poses a lethal threat to all of New York, including Peter Parker’s main squeeze, Gwen (Emma Stone). Marc Webb directs.

Walk of Shame – Elizabeth Banks walks the walk as an intrepid reporter caught with her pants down following a one-night stand with a handsome stranger (James Marsden). He, of course, leaves her stranded without a phone, car or money just hours before an important job interview.

Neighbors – Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne play immature new parents forced to live next door to a rowdy fraternity house run by Zac Efron. Nick Stoller (“Forgetting Sarah Marshall”) directs.

Legends of Oz: Dorothy’s Return – There’s no end to the milking of the Land of Oz. Just ask the makers of such cheap imitators as “The Wiz” and “Return to Oz.” This time, Hollywood is preying on the offspring of L. Frank Baum, whose great-grandson, Roger, provides the source material for a 3-D-animated musical (songs by Bryan Adams) in which Dorothy (voice of Lea Michele) heads back to Oz to save her old friends from a new villain.

Chef – Taking a break from “Iron Man,” Jon Favreau returns to his “Swingers” roots to write, direct and star in an edgy comedy about an out-of-work chef who opens a food-truck business in L.A. Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson and Sofia Vergara co-star.

The Double – Jesse Eisenberg tries to break out of his post “Social Network” slump by playing two men whose only similarity is that they look alike. Trouble ensues when one doppelganger begins taking over the life of the other, including his crush (Mia Wasikowska).

Million Dollar Arm – In his first leading movie role, Jon Hamm plays real-life sports agent J.B. Bernstein, who plots to revive his career by finding the next Major League pitching phenom – in India. “The Daily Show’s” Aasif Mandvi and Oscar-winner Alan Arkin join him on his make-or-break journey to Mumbai and back. Craig Gillespie (“Lars and the Real Girl”) directs from a script penned by “Win Win’s” Tom McCarthy. Expect this one to score big.

Godzilla – Leaping lizards! The rotund reptile that ate Tokyo is back and hungry for more in a special effects-laden extravaganza directed by Gareth Edwards (“Monsters”).

Palo Alto – Between propositioning teenagers via Instagram, James Franco found time to play a soccer coach looking to score with his family’s babysitter (Emma Roberts). Ah, but that’s just one of the many threads running through Gia (granddaughter of Francis Ford) Coppola’s multifaceted study of teen angst and how it relates to love and sex.

X-Men: Days of Future Past – X-Men old (Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen and Hugh Jackman) and new (James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender and Jennifer Lawrence) join forces to change the course of history in order to preserve the species. Bryan Singer (“X-Men”) and Matthew Vaughn (“Kick-Ass”) share the directing duties.

Blended – After “The Wedding Singer” and “50 First Dates,” Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore have a lot to live up to in their third (and long overdue) go-round as opposites-attract lovers facing hurtles. This time it’s kids, as a pair of single parents hunt for romance while on safari in Africa.

MAY 30

A Million Ways to Die in the West – Seth MacFarlane wears three hats (director, producer, co-writer) in his follow-up to “Ted.” Then adds a fourth: a cowboy hat, which he dons for the role of Albert, a cowardly sheep rancher who must learn to assert himself before somebody shoots him. And Charlize Theron’s ornery hombre just might be the one to help him grow a pair. Liam Neeson, Amanda Seyfried, Sarah Silverman and Neil Patrick Harris co-star.

Maleficent – Angelina Jolie returns to acting to play the evil witch looking to put the kibosh on her teen nemesis (Elle Fanning) in the umpteenth telling of the legend of “Sleeping Beauty.” Only this time it’s seen from Maleficent’s point of view. Brad Bird (“The Incredibles”) directs.

JUNE 6

Edge of Tomorrow – Tom Cruise gives us his version of “Groundhog Day” in a silly-sounding sci-fi epic in which he relives over and over the day of his character’s violent death at the hands of aliens. Doug Liman (“The Bourne Identity”) directs.

The Fault in Our Stars – Two teen cancer patients (Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort) find love while taking part in a support group in a shameless weepie based on John Green’s best-selling young-adult novel.

JUNE 13

22 Jump Street – Schlumpy Jonah Hill and studly Channing Tatum graduate to college when they reteam to play undercover cops seeking to break up yet another drug ring. Also expect lots of riffing on the actors’ off-screen personalities and the ridiculousness of sequels.

How to Train Your Dragon 2 – DreamWorks takes on the impossible task of trying to duplicate the power and emotion of the original tale about the unbending love between a boy and his pet dragon. But where there’s smoke, there could still be plenty of fire, particularly in the form of Hiccup’s diva-like mother voiced by Cate Blanchett.

JUNE 20

Think like a Man Too – The six couples from the original, a surprise hit from 2012, come together again, this time in Vegas, where they’ve headed to attend dueling bachelorette parties – one for the men and the other for the ladies. With the red-hot Kevin Hart in the cast, look for this one to be an even bigger hit than the first.

Jersey Boys – Clint Eastwood directing a big-screen version of a Tony-winning musical about The Four Seasons? You better believe it! And the part-time songsmith scores a major coup by landing John Lloyd Young to reprise his Broadway role as lead singer (and “Sopranos” star) Frankie Valli. Christopher Walken co-stars as the group’s mob-linked guardian angel.

JUNE 27

Transformers: Age of Extinction – Swapping the light-hitting Shia LaBeouf for a marquee player the caliber of Mark Wahlberg is a trade on a par with the Red Sox dealing Heathcliff Slocumb for Derek Lowe and Jason Varitek. And that’s exactly what director Michael Bay and producer Steven Spielberg have done in attempting to rebuild their sagging robot franchise. Now let’s see if what looks good on paper plays out on the field.

Whitey: The United States of America v. James J. Bulger – Joe Berlinger’s films about the shortcomings of the criminal justice system are some of the best documentaries ever made, achievements crowned by his three “Paradise Lost” movies about the West Memphis Three. Now he turns his camera on Boston’s most notorious gangster, using Whitey’s recent trial as a springboard to examine the alleged corruption within the FBI and other government agencies that facilitated Bulger instead of prosecuting him.

JULY 2

Tammy – Kudos go to Melissa McCarthy for convincing the sexy Susan Sarandon to portray her potty-mouthed grandmother in her latest comedy, co-written by her and her husband, Ben Falcone. McCarthy, as close to box-office gold as there is these days, plays the title character, a woman who’s just lost everything, including her philandering husband. What’s a girl to do? Hit the road to Niagara Falls that’s what. The only problem is, Tammy doesn’t have a car or cash. Enter Sarandon, who does. Expect lots of bickering and bantering to ensue.

Deliver Us from Evil – Did you ever hear the one about the cop and the priest? Me neither. But then the makers of this supernatural thriller aren’t joking when they team one of New York’s finest (Eric Bana) with a man of God (Edgar Ramirez) to solve a spate of demonic crimes. Sounds like something better suited to a cable TV series than a movie, which leads me to believe the devil made them do it.

Earth to Echo – In what looks like a blatant “E.T.” rip-off, three suburban friends defy their parents and authorities to come to the aid of a friendly alien. Sounds like a script that was phoned home.

JULY 4

Begin Again – John Carney’s long overdue follow-up to his indie hit “Once” stars Mark Ruffalo as a down-on-his-luck music exec who seeks relief via the bottle. On the verge of suicide, he is reintroduced to the living when he discovers Keira Knightley singing in a dive bar. He’s going to do everything to make her a star, and in the process win back his wife (Catherine Keener) and daughter (Hailee Steinfeld). Real-life pop-star Adam Levine co-stars.

JULY 11

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes – Taking place a decade after the events depicted in “The Rise of the Planet of the Apes,” the sequel finds Gary Oldman, Keri Russell and Jason Clarke as the only humans able to fight back against the ruling primates, led by Caesar (Andy Serkis doing his amazing capture-motion thing). Matt Reeves (“Let Me In”) directs.

A Long Way Down – Toni Collette and Pierce Brosnan are among a group of strangers who’ve unintentionally chosen the same high-rise rooftop to leap from on New Year’s Eve. Instead of taking the plunge, the four lost souls agree to wait six weeks and try to help each other find a reason to live.

And So It Goes – It’s been 18 years since Rob Reiner directed Michael Douglas to a Golden Globe nomination in “The American President.” Now they’re back together for a comedy that hits close to home for Douglas, whose character, like the actor, has a son sent to jail on drug charges. Unlike Douglas, his character gets stuck caring for his 9-year-old grandson (Sterling Jerins), a chore he comically tries to foist off on his attractive neighbor played by Diane Keaton. Can this group somehow form a family?

JULY 18

Jupiter Ascending – Writer-directors Andy and Lana Wachowski (“The Matrix”) leave behind the dourness of “Cloud Atlas” to have a little fun with this sci-fi fantasy. In it, Channing Tatum’s genetically enhanced ex-soldier swoops down to rescue Mila Kunis, aka Jupiter Jones, from her thankless janitorial job on Earth so he can help restore her rightful place as an interplanetary princess.

The Purge: Anarchy – Demon is part of his name, so is it any wonder that writer-director James Demonaco is back wreaking more death and destruction in his sequel to last year’s surprise hit in which citizens were given one day to commit any crime? Where that film was about how rich people protected themselves in such an instance, this one takes the perspective of poor folks trying to survive a night of mayhem.

Boyhood – Good, or bad, Richard Linklater’s latest ranks as the most fascinating movie of the summer. As well it should be, considering it took him 12 years to film it. In it, Ethan Hawke, Patricia Arquette and newcomers Ellar Coltrane and Lorelei Linklater (Richard’s daughter) play members of a dysfunctional family who grow and age before our eyes during the dozen years of their lives the film chronicles. Think of it as a “Same Time Next Year” for a very patient and innovative filmmaker.

Planes: Fire and Rescue – More of the same animated action in Disney’s sequel to the mild 2013 hit, “Planes.”

JULY 25

Hercules: The Thracian Wars – The makers of the second Hercules film of 2014 pray their version starring Dwayne Johnson doesn’t turn into the same box-office poison as the first. Rest assured this one (pardon the pun) packs more muscle, both in its special effects and its cast, which in addition to Johnson features Ian McShane, Rufus Sewell, Joseph Fiennes and John Hurt. Brett Ratner directs.

Sex Tape – “Bad Teacher” stars Jason Segel and Cameron Diaz reunite with director Jake Kasdan to play a long-married couple who attempt to spice up their lovemaking by shooting a sex tape in which they assume every position outlined in the book “The Joy of Sex.” The three-hour session is a smash until they find out their film has fallen into the wrong hands and is about to go viral on the Internet.

Step Up: All In – Consider this installment of the popular dance-movie series a sort of “Step Up” all-stars in which the best hoofers from the previous films come together to vie in a be-all, end-all competition in Las Vegas.

AUG. 1

Guardians of the Galaxy – Disney’s Marvel division launches a new franchise with the release or this intergalactic tale in which a motley crew of selfish space weirdos come together to form a team promoting the greater good. James Gunn, who made the delightful superhero sendup “Super,” directs this band of misfits played by the likes of Zoe Saldana, Chris Pratt and wrestler Dave Bautista.

Magic in the Moonlight – What could be more Woody Allen than an older man (Colin Firth) pursuing a young woman (Emma Stone)? That’s the premise behind the Woodman’s follow-up to his Oscar-winning “Blue Jasmine.” In it, Firth plays a fuddy-duddy Englishman out to prove Stone’s psychic a fraud. Or, at least he does until he starts falling for her. Set in the 1920s in the very un-Woody-like south of France, the picture also stars Marcia Gay Harden as Stone’s feisty mother.

A Most Wanted Man – It’s time to savor one of the very last performances by the late, great Philip Seymour Hoffman. He plays a German intelligence officer on the hunt for a suspected terrorist in a story based on a 2008 novel by John le Carre. Daniel Bruhl (“Rush”) assists him in his pursuit, while Anton Corbijn (“The American”) directs.

Get on Up – With “The Help,” director Tate Taylor told a moving tale of repressed black women rising up in the South. Now he’s back with another tale about the black experience, taking on the seemingly impossible task of bringing James Brown, back to life for an all-encompassing bio-pic starring “42’s” Chadwick Boseman as the Godfather of Soul. “Help” vets Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer fill out an impressive supporting cast.

AUG. 8

The Hundred-Foot Journey – Helen Mirren reportedly makes a strong bid for a second Oscar by playing a snooty restaurateur who wages a feud with a competing chef (Manish Dayal) in their picturesque French village. Things begin to thaw when Mirren’s sous chef (Charlotte Le Bon) instills a shaky détente. Lasse Hallstrom, a veteran of foodie culture clashes with “Chocolat,” directs.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – In what promises to be the summer’s most unnecessary picture, producer Michael Bay foists yet another live-action Turtles adventure upon us. That’s so ‘90s of him.

Lucy – Writer-director Luc Besson (“La Femme Nikita”) teams with Scarlett Johansson to create a kick-ass action heroine who has a run-in with some very bad men and makes them pay.

AUG. 15

The Giver – Fans of Lois Lowry’s young-adult novel are up in arms over the liberties director Phillip Noyce (“Rabbit Proof Fence”) has taken with their beloved text. For one thing, the film is in color, not the black and white Lowry intended. Also, the story’s hero, Jonas, is no longer age 12, but 16. The rest is pretty much the same, as Jonas (little known Brenton Thwaites) is chosen to inherit the secrets of human history from the title character (Jeff Bridges).

The Expendables 3 – Sylvester Stallone and his ever-changing band of crime fighters take on a new challenge in the formidable form of Mel Gibson’s ruthless arms trader Conrad Stonebanks. The twist is that Stonebanks was a cofounder of The Expendables team.

The Trip to Italy – Director Michael Winterbottom takes comedians Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon on another culinary road excursion in a sequel to their 2010 art-house smash, “The Trip.” This time the scene moves from England to Italy, where in addition to sampling fine cuisine and indulging their trademark celebrity impersonations, the two stars riff on such topics as Batman’s vocal register and the virtue of sequels.

AUG. 22

If I Stay – In the summer’s umpteenth movie based on a young-adult novel (this one by Gayle Forman), Chloe Moretz plays a comatose teen experiencing a romantic out-of-body experience in which she must choose whether to live or die. R.J. Cutler (“The September Issue”) directs.

Sin City: A Dame to Kill For – The original “Sin City” was revolutionary in both its content and its look, which brought Frank Miller’s graphic novels vividly to life. It also revived Mickey Rourke’s long-dead career. No small accomplishment. So Miller and his co-director Robert Rodriguez have a lot to live up to with this 3-D sequel in which much of the original cast returns. They appear in four noirish vignettes set in a corrupt, decaying metropolis where it’s getting harder to tell the good guys from the bad.

When the Game Stands Tall – Perhaps the greatest accomplishment in high school football is the 151-game winning streak coach Bob Ladouceur amassed a decade ago at De La Salle High in California. How he did it – and how he rallied his troops after they finally lost – is the subject of this fact-based “Friday Night Lights”-lite movie starring Jim Caviezel and Laura Dern as the coach and his wife.

AUG. 29

One Chance – Count on director David Frankel (“The Devil Wears Prada”) to inject the right amount of whimsy into the true story of Paul Potts (Tony-winner James Corden), a bullied amateur opera singer who becomes a YouTube sensation after being chosen to appear on “Britain’s Got Talent.”

Jessabelle – In yet another “Paranormal Activity”-like horror tale, a young woman (Sarah Snook) encounters an evil spirit when she returns to her childhood home in Louisiana.

Life of Crime – In a story culled from the late Elmore Leonard, two kidnappers (John Hawkes and Yasiin Bey) make the mistake of snatching a woman (Jennifer Aniston) whose husband couldn’t care less if he ever sees her again. The victim’s captors then become her allies, as the wronged trio exact revenge on the heartless slug.

The Loft – Five married men, including Karl Urban and James Marsden, secretly share a penthouse loft for indulging in affairs and fantasies. All is great until one of their female guests turns up dead and each of the five suspects the other is the killer.

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